Alois stretcher



(No Modei.)

A. STREIOHBR. STRING PEG DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 548,475. Patented Oct. 22, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALOIS STREICHER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHN CHURCHCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

STRING-PEG DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,475, dated October22, 1 895.

Application filed March 18, 1895. fierial No. 542,172. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoIs' STREICHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, Ohio, have invented new and useful Inn- 5provements in String-Peg Devices for Musical Instruments, of which thefollowiugis a specification.

My invention relates to the screw-peg devices employed on guitars,mandolins, and

I0 other stringed instrumentsfor regulating the tension of the stringsand the pitch of the tone produced, these devices being generally knownin the trade as patent heads, and it consists in an improvedconstruction by which the cost of manufacture is reduced and a superiorand more durable and efficient article is produced wherein there are noseparate parts to become loose and rattle, and repairs are muchfacilitated.

To this end my invention consists in a socalled head embodying ahomogeneous plate of metal in which the string-pegs are journaled,provided with bearing-lugs for the screw-shaft struck up from the sameplate of metal and fitted with the screw, string-peg,

and worm-gear, all as hereinafter described.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a blank of sheet metal showing the initial cuts made by thedie-punches in the act of forming the lugs. Fig. 2 is a plan of theplate as completely formed, showing one of the screw-gears and pegs inplace. Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on thelines a; y of Fig. 2,

showing position, form, and relation of the lugs; and Fig. 5 is aplan'view of a portion of a blank, showing the cuts for the tonguesmerged at the center. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modification ofstructure.

Referring now to the drawings, A designates the plate of sheet metalupon which the pegs and screw-gears are mounted. It is intended to beformed complete in one or at most two operations in a suitably-formeddie- 5 press (not shown) by dies suitably constructed to, first, inaddition to cutting the marginal contour of the plate, as shown, punchthe semicircular hole; second, form the lines of cut 1) b 19 (meeting at5 leaving the metal intact between the terminals b b of the cut,

and, thirdly, bend downward the tongue 19, formed by the cut, so as tostand outward perpendicular to the general plane of the plate, as shownin Figs. 2, 3, and 4. These tongues b are arranged oppositely in pairs,as shown, preferably leaving a central portion 1) of the plate intactbetween each two tongues of a pair in order to maintain thegeneralstrength of the plate. This, however, is not absolutelyessential, as the cuts 6 b may merge toward the point b and the oppositecuts 1) I) meet centrally at 11 all as shown in Fig. 5, if preferred,thus somewhat simplifying the cuttingdie and also somewhat enlarging thetongues b, but at the expense, to some extent, of the base-plate, whichis thus deprived of the central bridge b separating the apertureproduced by cutting and forcing out the tongues.

in front of and midway between the tongues 19 the plate is perforated,as at c, for the string peg or post p, which is preferably constructedas follows: The string-peg is larger in diameter than the perforation c,and is therefore turned down to form a shank c, exactly fitting theperforation c in diameter and length, leavinga squared projection 0above the plate to receive the worm-wheel to, which is held in place bya screw 8 threaded axially into the end of the peg and securing theworm-wheel rigidly thereto. 8c The worm-wheel and squared projection ofthe post may be so made as to secure a wedge fit, in order to constitutethe lower face of the worm-wheel a projecting shoulder at one side ofthe plate to correspond with the turned shoulder formed by reducing theshank c at the other, the object being to secure an accurate andpermanent bearing for the peg in and upon the plate to resist allstresses and maintain an easily-operative relation without rattling, &c.

The plate is usually made of brass or composite metal containing copper,which ac quires hardness by bending, so that the tongues 17 acquirehardness by the operation 5 of forming. There are thus formed upon theplate and projecting above its face two opposite lugs or tongues b, withcorresponding open semicircular recesses a, adapted to receive ascrew-shaft turned from a single piece ICO strikes in order to limit themovement of the latter.

The parts being constructed and arranged as described, the operation ofthe controller is as follows: The current from the feed-wire passes byway of the roller f, segment d", lever 61, roller (1 and one of thecontact members h, to a return-wire a leading to the rheostat. Thecontact members I) are .arranged to correspond to the plugs of therheostat, so that the position of the roller 01 upon the particularcontact member b shall control the particular plug through which thecurrent passes into and out of the rheostat. In Fig. 1 the memberindicated by the symbol or is the one where the least current is topass, and the member indicated by the letter y is the one through whichthe maximum of the current is to be introduced by the way of therheostat to the motor, the intermediate members being connected tointermediate plugs of therheostat that are graduated from one another,as is common. The segment 01 takes the current from the truck f, thecontact members 1) taking current from the roller 01 The roller d andthe contact members I) are so constructed and spaced that the rollerdoes not leave one member beforeit has made contact with a succeedingmember, in order to prevent sparking. \Nhen the roller is pushed so thatit connects the last member y of the members I), the arm of therollerstrikes the stop 8 to prevent the segment from leaving the truckand the roller from leaving a contact member. When, however, the rolleris pushed toward and beyond the particular member b that is designatedby the symbol on, it does not encounter the stop 3 until the roller hasleft the contact member I) and the segment 01 has broken contact withthe truck f. By this means the circuit is broken in two placessimultaneously. Instead of the feedwire of lever 61 taking the currentfrom the truck by means of the segment I) and the truck f, We mayconnect the feed-Wire, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, with asegment0", secured to the framework, and make contact between the lever d andthis segment by means of a roll 1*, that may be connected with theroller d in any desired way, or we may make use of both devices forconnecting the roller (1 with the feed-wire.

Having thus explained the nature of our invention and described a way ofconstructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forthall the forms in which itmay be made or all the modes of its use, whatwe claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric controller, in combination, a feed wire terminal,spring pressed contact members, a pivoted lever, having at one end apart arranged to engage said terminal, and a roller upon the oppositeend of said lever arranged to engage said contact members, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric controller, in combination, a truck arranged as a feedwire terminal, a series of spring pressed contact members, a pivotedlever having a segment at one end arranged to engage said truck, aroller carried by the opposite end of said lever and arranged to engagesaid contact members, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In an electric controller, in combination, a truck arranged as a feedwire terminal, a series of spring pressed contact members, a pivotedlever having a segment at one end arranged to engage said truck, aroller carried by the opposite end of said lever and arranged to engagesaid contact members, stops .9, 5', one of said stops being so arrangedwith respect to the length of said segment and the location of saidterminals that it is not engaged by said lever until the circuit hasbeen broken between the roller and terminals and between the segment andtruck, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 18th day of May, A. D.1895.

DANIEL J. MOLANE. GEORGE W. MOCLINTOCK.

\Vitnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, A. H. ABELL.

